Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Revelation 20:6

τοῦ θεοῦ. א has καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ.

6. μακάριος καὶ ἅγιος. He is sure of eternal blessedness, absolutely and indefeasibly consecrated to God. “Holy” refers to the relation to God into which this brings him, not to the foregoing faithfulness that is implied in his being admitted into it.

ὁ δεύτερος θάνατος. See Revelation 2:11 and Revelation 20:14 (the article is doubled in both). Cf. Romans 6:9-10.

οὐκ ἔχει ἐξουσίαν. The coupling of the second death, which cannot be taken literally as implying annihilation (see Revelation 20:10), with the first resurrection in some degree lessens the difficulty of taking the latter figuratively, though as the body which is raised even to dishonour is spiritual, we cannot say that the first resurrection is spiritual and the general resurrection natural.

ἔσονται ἱερεῖς. Cf. Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:10.

τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. The strongest proof, perhaps, in the Book of the doctrine of Christ’s coequal Deity. If we read these words in the light of St John’s Gospel, or of the Nicene Creed, they suggest no difficulty; but without the doctrine there taught, they make salvation to consist in the deadly sin which the Moslems call “association”—the worshipping the creature by the side of the Creator. Notice, however, that the word “God” in this book always means the Father; and so throughout the N.T., with few exceptions.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Revelation 20:6

Old Testament

New Testament